Posted on 09/05/2012 5:18:50 PM PDT by Focault's Pendulum
I have two tuxedos. Momma and Lady. Both about five years old. Momma is a finicky eater. Lady eats anything put in front of her. They're both rescues a year apart, as I took them in from the woods. They had to have been abandoned. They took to the house and proceeded to take it over.
That's Okay I enjoy their company except when they wake me up at four in the morning and say "feed us"!
Now the question:
Momma used to drink from my aquarium and indoor fountain. no problems. I finally got her to drink from a drinking bowl. She now touches the drinking bowl with her front paw on the surface water several times before she drinks. It's like she is testing the surface tension.
What sort of behavior is this? It's not bad, but I'm curious.
I’ve read all sorts of theories for this. One is cats like running water, one is that it’s a hold-over from kitten playtime. I can tell you that I’ve had cats all my life and the only one who’s ever done what you describe is my current sweet old lady furball, and she ONLY does it when she’s sick. We had a spate of urinary tract infections over the past 18 mos. and each time, she would paw at her water (and sometimes food) dish. Otherwise, nothing.
So, unless you have reason to think she’s sick, I wouldn’t worry about it. :-)
But besides that, every animal that I've had or observed living with other humans had little neurotic ticks. They probably have them in the wild too, but frankly I think they assume we're their species or that they're human and the result is they all become a little bit nuts cooped up indoors with the craziest species of all, US.
They’re just pushing you around.
Ignore them and keep to your schedule. As their employee you still need to assert yourself at times.
Does them no good if you aren’t well rested and get sick. They damn sure won’t take care of and will zero empathy, unlike dogs.
They have to know where the surface is. They can’t see the water surface and need to know where it is. I have one cat that doesn’t and she’ll put her nose into the bowl and when her nose hits it she’ll pull back, look, then figure out where the surface is and drink.
PS - also, they’re playing.
She misses the circulation that a filter gives...?
Otherwise, ask her.
;o]
Lolz
Please pray for my wife and I. This late afternoon we’ll bring our 12-yr old cat Michel to the vet and put him to sleep. He has huge mass on his stomach, and the past several days had liquid all over his body. He’s been immobile for a while. Although he still eat, he’s always under pain killer 24/7, so we decide not to prolong his suffering. This is new experience for us.
My two are Great!!! at attacking mobile objects. They were once indoor/outdoor cats. I watched them double team a chipmunk before I saved it! It was freaking amazing. I think the chipmunk eventually died of heart failure.
They're indoors now. One them almost died from a flea infestation. I walk them outside on my shoulder, seems they're good with that.
There is no snooze button on a cat that wants breakfast.
My daughter’s orange tabby, Pumpkin, nudges the water bowl with his nose a few times to get the water rocking. He loves fresh water, and so I pour it in the bowl from a pitcher from about a foot above the bowl. He will stick his nose in the water stream as it is being poured. It’s just a quirk. My cat drinks from the fish tank.
You didn’t adopt them. They arranged for you to find them, by noting your habits. They are now conducting a series of highly complex psychological experiments on you. The true purpose of which, would truly frighten you, if you knew what it was.
Here's a fountain that we got a couple of years ago that all 3 of our cats love. You might consider this. Í highly recommend it.
I’m sorry for your loss.
I am sorry to hear this. I had been a dog guy all my life. My cats gave me a new experience.
Most have filters until your cat learns how to get at them. My son's little female cat figured out how to get the top off the section where the filter is. She'd take the filter out, then proceed to destroy it. She hasn't done it in a while, so perhaps she's outgrown it. On a different style of fountain he previously had, she'd stick her paw up into the hole where the water was flowing from, and pull the filter out. One of my cats used to pull the filter out of the fountain I had here too. Once the novelty of it wore off, he stopped.
Do not be fooled...when they sit in your lap and engage in the “treading “ routine on your stomach,it is NOT a sign of affection.....they are feeling your internal organs,checking for weakness.And that digging in the litter box is actually practice for disposing of the bodies.
I have not read all of the posts yet, but GRRRRR was on to something. My old cat (18 years), liked running water, many cats do.
They have cat fountains for this. Basically a little water pump with a plastic bowl. Go get her one - she’ll love it!
Every cat I’ve ever had has done this, regardless of where they came from. No idea why...
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